Who was Eliphas Levi

 Éliphas Lévi and “As Above, So Below”

Éliphas Lévi (1810–1875), born Alphonse Louis Constant, is the single most important figure in turning the ancient Hermetic maxim “as above, so below” into the foundational principle of modern Western occultism. More than any alchemist, Rosicrucian, or Renaissance magus before him, Lévi transformed the phrase from an alchemical or cosmological observation into the supreme law of magic itself.

Lévi’s Famous Formulation (1855–1856)

In his two masterpieces — Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie (1855–1856, translated as Transcendental Magic) — Lévi repeatedly returns to the Emerald Tablet and gives the axiom its classic 19th-century occult form:

“The Great Magical Arcanum is summed up in the words of Hermes: ‘That which is above is like that which is below, and that which is below is like that which is above.’

There is a single law for the infinite and the finite, for the visible and the invisible, for heaven and earth.

The microcosm (man) is identical in organization and essence with the macrocosm (the universe).

To know one is to know the other; to act on one is to act on the other.”

For Lévi, this is not poetry or vague mysticism. It is the mechanism by which magic works.

 

The Astral Light: The Medium of Correspondence

Lévi’s greatest original contribution is his doctrine of the Astral Light (Lumière Astrale), a universal plastic mediator that fills all space and serves as the common substance of souls, stars, and physical matter.

•  The Astral Light is the “great agent” of the Emerald Tablet (the Wind that carries the child in its womb).

•  It is polarized: it has an active (above) and a passive (below) face.

•  Every thought, desire, or ritual gesture impresses a form on this fluid, and because of the law “as above, so below,” the impression on the invisible plane must eventually manifest on the visible plane — and vice versa.

In short: the Astral Light is the living proof that the macrocosm and microcosm are not just analogous; they are linked by a real, tangible medium that the trained will can manipulate.

Human Being as the Living Pentagram

Lévi’s most iconic illustration is the Baphomet drawing (the “Sabbatic Goat”) in Dogme et Rituel. The caption reads:

“The Goat of Mendes… bears the signs of the Pentagram on its forehead… because, as Hermes said, ‘That which is below is like that which is above…’

The magician who raises his arm towards heaven and points downward with the other is the living image of the law: he becomes the Pantacle of the Great Arcanum.”

For Lévi, the upright human body with arms raised and one foot forward is the Pentagram incarnate — the microcosmic mirror of the five elements, five planets, and five wounds of Christ. When the magician assumes this posture and pronounces the correct words, he literally becomes the conduit through which the “above” descends into the “below.”

Practical Magic as Applied Correspondence

Lévi turns the axiom into a complete magical technology:

•  To heal a sick organ (below), invoke the planetary force that corresponds to it (above).

•  To bind a spirit, draw its sigil on earth at the exact moment the corresponding star is culminating in heaven.

•  To gain power over another person, work on the astral image of that person, because the astral double and the physical body are linked by unbreakable sympathy.

This is why Lévi insists that “the magician must know astrology, physiology, and the correspondences of the Kabbalah,” because all these sciences are simply tables of the single law of analogy.

Influence and Legacy

Lévi’s interpretation became the DNA of almost every subsequent occult movement:

•  The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn built its entire system of correspondences (Tree of Life, colors, planets, tarot, etc.) on Lévi’s version of “as above, so below.”

•  The famous Golden Dawn ritual gesture of the “Sign of the Enterer” and the “Sign of Silence” is a direct enactment of the ascent/descent cycle in the Emerald Tablet.

•  Aleister Crowley’s core definition of magick — “the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will” — is unthinkable without Lévi’s prior insistence that the law of analogy makes such causation possible.

•  Even the New Age “law of attraction” is a highly diluted descendant of Lévi’s Astral Light doctrine.

Lévi’s Final Word

In the conclusion of Dogme et Rituel, he writes:

“The entire magical work consists in ascending consciously, by the ladder of the four worlds and the thirty-two paths of the Kabbalah, from earth to heaven, and then descending again charged with the power of the things above, to command the things below.”

For Éliphas Lévi, “as above, so below” is not a mystical truism. It is the operating manual of the universe — and the magician who truly understands it becomes, in his own words, “the king of the visible and invisible worlds.”

No one before or since has made the ancient Hermetic axiom feel so alive, so dangerous, and so absolutely practical.

Éliphas Lévi’s Baphomet (1856): A Complete Key to the Symbolism

The famous drawing appears as the frontispiece to the second volume of Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie (1856). Lévi himself titled it “The Goat of Mendes” and later simply “Baphomet.” It is not a devil, not a deity to be worshipped, and certainly not a random satanic fantasy. It is, in Lévi’s own words, “the hieroglyphic image of the Great Magical Arcanum,” the synthesized emblem of the entire occult doctrine “As above, so below.”

Here is what every major element actually means according to Lévi’s own explanations (scattered through Dogme et Rituel, Histoire de la Magie, and his letters):

Overall Posture and Gesture

•  Androgynous winged goat-headed figure seated in a perfect frontal pose on a stone cube.

•  Right hand points upward to a white moon, left hand points downward to a black moon → the solved Great Arcanum: “That which is above is like that which is below.”

•  The posture is the exact living embodiment of Hermes Trismegistus’ law. The figure itself IS the solved Emerald Tablet.

Head and Face

•  Goat’s head: the traditional symbol of the element Earth and of the generative force in nature (the same goat that pulls Thor’s chariot, that was sacrificed in ancient rites, etc.).

•  Torch between the horns: the flame of Intelligence, the Promethean fire, the divine spark in matter.

•  Pentagram on the forehead (point upward): the dominion of Spirit over the four elements; the human being who has achieved magical equilibrium.

Torso and Breasts

•  Female breasts + visible phallus (caduceus rising from the groin): perfect androgyne, the Rebis of alchemy (rebis = res bina, “double thing”). The solved Mercury, male-female united.

•  Dark and light breasts: the duality of forces (mercy/severity, attraction/repulsion) reconciled in the Adept.

Arms and Hands

•  Arms bear the Latin words SOLVE (left) and COAGULA (right): the great alchemical rhythm — dissolve and coagulate, separate and join. The entire magical process in two words.

•  The same words appear on the arms of the Baphomet in Crowley’s Thoth Tarot Trump XV, showing direct descent.

Wings

•  Bat-like or dragon wings: the sublimated volatile principle, the power of ascent from earth to heaven (line 8 of the Emerald Tablet).

Lower Body

•  Scaled reptilian legs ending in hooves: the mastery of the lowest, most material forces.

•  Seated on a stone cube: the Cube of Perfection, the philosophical salt, the fixed and perfected matter.

Caduceus Rising from the Groin

•  The twin serpents of the caduceus intertwine around a central rod that rises from the genitals.

•  Exact symbol of equilibrated desire: sexual energy transmuted into spiritual force. Kundalini, the serpent power, raised and balanced.

The Two Moons (on the pedestal in some versions)

•  Crescent moons, one white, one black, with the figure pointing to both.

•  The solved lunar polarity: the Astral Light in its dual aspect.

The Surrounding Elements (in the full plate)

•  Two chained figures (sometimes shown, sometimes omitted): humanity before initiation — bound to matter.

•  The stone globe or black sphere behind: the primordial chaos that the Adept has ordered.

Lévi’s Own Summary Statements

•  “The goat… represents the equilibrated forces of nature, the synthesis of all dogmas, the universal equilibrium.”

•  “Baphomet is the hieroglyph of magical omnipotence… the image of the Pantheomorphic Absolute.”

•  “If one were to pronounce the divine name while making the sign of Baphomet (arms in the ‘as above, so below’ gesture), one would evoke the creative force itself.”

Crucial Point: Baphomet Is Not Satan

Lévi explicitly contrasts his figure with the Christian Devil:

“The devil of the Christians is nothing but a perversion of our goat… We rehabilitate the true Baphomet, the great magical agent in its unity.”

For Lévi, the Christian Satan is the Astral Light misused and unbalanced; Baphomet is the Astral Light mastered and equilibrated.

Legacy

Every subsequent depiction of Baphomet — from the Golden Dawn, to the Taxil hoax, to LaVey’s Church of Satan sigil, to modern metal album covers — derives ultimately from Lévi’s 1856 drawing, but almost always loses the original meaning. Lévi’s Baphomet is not evil, not a being to worship, and not a historical Templar idol. It is a philosophical and magical synthesis: the human being who has become the living bridge between heaven and earth, the perfect illustration of the solved Hermetic maxim “As  above, so below.”

Anton LaVey: Making Satiam Cool

 Making Satanism Cool
Anton Szandor LaVey:

 A Concise Biography

Anton Szandor LaVey (1930–1997), born Howard Stanton LeVey, was the founder of the Church of Satan and author of The Satanic Bible (1969). He turned Satanism into a modern, atheistic philosophy of individualism, hedonism, and self-deification.

His Early Life

Born in Chicago and raised in California, LaVey left high school to work in circuses and burlesque houses. He later claimed (without evidence) to have been a San Francisco police photographer and to have had affairs with Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. By the late 1950s he was giving popular lectures on the occult from his black-painted Victorian home.

The Founding the Church of Satan

On April 30, 1966 (Walpurgisnacht), LaVey ritually shaved his head and declared the founding of the Church of Satan and the start of the “Age of Satan.” High-profile Satanic baptisms, weddings, and funerals followed, attracting massive media attention.

The Philosophy: LaVeyan Satanism

LaVey’s Satanism is non-theistic. Satan is a symbol of pride, liberty, and individualism, not a literal entity. Core ideas include:

•  Indulgence over abstinence

•  Vital existence over spiritual pipe dreams

•  Responsibility to the responsible

•  Rejection of herd morality and guilt

Magic is purely psychodramatic catharsis or applied psychology.

The Satanic Bible (1969), The Satanic Rituals (1972), and The Satanic Witch (1971) remain his most influential works, blending Nietzsche, Ayn Rand, and carnival showmanship.

Anton’s Public Image and Influence

In the late 1960s and 1970s, celebrities (Jayne Mansfield, Sammy Davis Jr., Kenneth Anger) visited his “Black House.” LaVey appeared in films, recorded occult music, and became a late-night TV staple in full Satanic regalia.

His Later Years and Death

By the 1980s the Church had shrunk; LaVey became reclusive and fell out with former allies, including his daughter Zeena. He died of pulmonary edema on October 29, 1997 (the Church initially claimed Halloween for dramatic effect).

The Satanic Bible (1969) – Structure and Core Content

The Satanic Bible is a short (272-page) paperback that serves as the foundational text of LaVeyan Satanism. It is not a “holy book” in the traditional sense but a manifesto of atheistic, hedonistic philosophy dressed in theatrical occult language.

The book is divided into four sections, each named after one of the “Four Crown Princes of Hell.”

1. The Book of Satan (The Infernal Diatribe)

•  Mostly plagiarized and adapted from Ragnar Redbeard’s Social-Darwinist rant Might Is Right (1896).

•  Fiery, poetic denunciations of weakness, herd morality, Christianity, and turn-the-other-cheek ethics.

•  Tone: angry, over-the-top, Nietzsche-on-steroids.

Key quote: “Blessed are the strong, for they shall possess the earth – Cursed are the weak, for they shall inherit the yoke!”

2. The Book of Lucifer (The Enlightenment)

•  The philosophical heart of the book – 12 essays.

•  Core ideas:

•  Satan represents indulgence, not abstinence.

•  Man is just another animal, but the most vicious of all.

•  Rejection of guilt, self-denial, and spiritual pipe dreams.

•  Stratified society is natural; equality is a lie.

•  “Responsibility to the responsible” – help those who deserve it, not the undeserving.

•  Sex, money, and power are good if you earn them honestly.

•  Heavy influence from Ayn Rand’s Objectivism and Nietzsche, stripped of metaphysics.

The Book of Belial (The Balance of Nature)

•  Theory of LaVeyan magic.

•  Magic is divided into:

•  Lesser Magic: applied psychology, seduction, manipulation, “looks, tricks, and confidence” (glorified pickup-artist tactics and salesmanship).

•  Greater Magic: ritual psychodrama to vent emotions or focus the will. No belief in supernatural forces required – it’s catharsis and auto-suggestion.

•  Emphasis on the “balance factor”: know exactly what you want and whether you can afford the emotional/energy price.

4. The Book of Leviathan (The Raging Sea)

•  Actual rituals and invocations.

•  Contains:

•  The Enochian Keys (19 calls adapted from John Dee, translated into “the language of Satan” by LaVey).

•  Three basic rituals: Lust, Compassion, and Destruction.

•  Instructions for setting up a ritual chamber, using a naked woman as altar, the Sigil of Baphomet, black candles, gong, sword, etc.

•  Written in pseudo-Shakespearean language for dramatic effect.

The Overall Philosophy in One Sentence

LaVeyan Satanism is atheistic epicurean egoism: there is no God or Devil, only you; life is short, so indulge responsibly, reject guilt, reward strength, and use ritual theater when your emotions need an outlet.

LaVey’s Influence and Reception

•  Sold over one million copies and still in print.

•  Became the single most influential occult book of the late 20th century.

•  Shaped countless heavy-metal lyrics, goth fashion, and modern atheistic Satanist groups (Church of Satan, The Satanic Temple, etc.).

The Satanic Bible is less a religious scripture than a provocative, Randian self-help book wrapped in Halloween theatrics – and that combination is exactly why it endured.

The Nine Satanic Statements

(The opening creed of The Satanic Bible – LaVey’s concise summary of his entire philosophy)

1.  Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence!
Pleasure and satisfaction of natural desires are good. Denying yourself food, sex, comfort, or success for the sake of “spirituality” or guilt is stupid and life-denying.

2.  Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams!
This real, physical world is all there is. There is no heaven, hell, afterlife, or soul. Focus on the here-and-now instead of wasting your life on imaginary rewards or punishments.

3.  Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit!
Face reality exactly as it is. Reject comforting lies, false humility, and pretending to be “good” when you’re not. Honest knowledge (even if unpleasant) beats self-delusion.

4.  Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates!
Love, help, and generosity should be given only to people who earn and reciprocate it—not squandered on everyone out of guilt or dogma.

5.  Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek!
If someone harms you, hit back—harder if necessary. Forgiveness without justice is weakness and invites further attack.

6.  Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires!
You owe nothing to leeches, manipulators, or chronic victims who drain you. Take care of yourself and those who pull their own weight.

7.  Satan represents man as just another animal—sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours—who, because of his “divine spiritual and intellectual development,” has become the most vicious animal of all!
Humans are biological animals, not “children of God.” Strip away the veneer of civilization and we’re often more cruel and predatory than any beast.

8.  Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification!
Pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth are natural drives. When indulged responsibly, they make life richer and more enjoyable.

9.  Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years!
A sardonic jab: the Christian churches owe their power and wealth to the fear of Satan and Hell. Without the Devil as a boogeyman, religion would collapse.

Taken together, the Nine Statements are a complete rejection of Christian morality and a celebration of egoism, realism, and responsible hedonism. They are the closest thing LaVeyan Satanism has to “Ten Commandments”—except they glorify what Christianity condemns.

The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth

(Written by Anton LaVey in 1967 and printed in The Satanic Bible)

These are the practical, everyday social rules that members of the Church of Satan are expected to live by. They are not mystical commandments; they are hard-headed guidelines for dealing with other people in a world full of fools, predators, and psychic vampires.

1.  Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked.
Unsolicited opinions make you look weak and needy.

2.  Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them.
Most people don’t care; dumping your problems on them is emotional parasitism.

3.  When in another’s lair, show him respect or else do not go there.
In someone else’s home, workplace, or space, follow their rules—or stay away.

4.  If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy.
Your home, your rules. No obligation to tolerate rude or abusive guests.

5.  Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal.
Consent is mandatory. No signal = no advance.

6.  Do not take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved.
Theft is contemptible—except when someone is begging to be robbed of a problem (rare).

7.  Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained.
Give credit where it’s due: if ritual psychodrama worked for you, don’t pretend it was “just coincidence.”

8.  Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself.
Whining about things you can walk away from is pathetic.

9.  Do not harm little children.
One of the very few absolute moral prohibitions in LaVeyan Satanism (the other being no cruelty to animals unless in self-defense or for food).

10.  Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food.
Same principle: animals are innocent and useful; only a weakling torments them.

11.  When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him.
Live and let live—until someone refuses to leave you alone. Then end the threat decisively (legally, socially, or, as a last resort, physically).

In short: Be polite and self-contained until politeness fails. Then retaliate without hesitation or guilt. These eleven rules are the real-world application of the Nine Satanic Statements—egoistic, pragmatic, and fiercely protective of personal boundaries.

LaVey’s Legacy

Though membership was always small, LaVey’s aesthetic and philosophy profoundly shaped heavy metal, goth culture, and modern atheistic Satanism. The Church of Satan continues under Peter H. Gilmore. Rival groups (Temple of Set, The Satanic Temple) either emerged from or reacted against his model.

In short, LaVey replaced the medieval Devil with a stylish, rationalist anti-hero and became the most successful re-brander of Satan in history.

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